We all know recycling is good for the earth, right? We use our resources wisely and create less waste. Content Marketing should be treated in a similar way. Why waste your time and energy constantly creating new content? Spread the message around, tailored to different platforms and your marketing will be less stressful to manage and be more concise (and better).
Reuse-Old is New Again
Using your FAQ’s as a jumping off point for blog posts is a great start. Recycling existing content is a great way to step into social media. Look at your old brochures/catalogs as a source of inspiration for social media posts. A “Can you believe we did that?” or “See How We Have Evolved/Changed” can bring loads of content and comments to your site. Never underestimate the power of nostalgia.
Reduce Clutter-Write a New Headline
If you have been on social media for a while and have been increasing your followers/fans and friends. Then revisit an old post, check if it is current, write a new headline and republish. The refreshed headline might entice readers to check out your content, if they missed it the first time. Check out Copyblogger, if you need “Headline Help”.
Repurpose and Question
Use questions like Who, What, Where, When and Why. An especially strong question to reuse existing content is “What if”?
What if you walked your customers through the life-cycle of an order?
What if you took a picture of a machine that you use for every order?
What if you ran a contest to “name the latest piece of equipment”?
What if you introduced members of your staff to your customers?
Remarkable-Talk It Out
Another way to recycle content is to talk to employee’s/co-workers. What are they talking about? They solve problems all day; present “new” information to your customers, that may be “old hat” to you. Your employees are hidden and underutilized assets who build connections with your customers. Don’t forget your vendors–they can lend credibility to your organization, provide content, comments and conversation. And they may even have additional industry specific recycled content for you to pass along.
The essence of recycling is presenting content in a new way for your audience. Stop pushing your marketing messages on customers; pull the customers in with engagement. Recycled content is a gift to your audience – inspiring a bit of excitement, joy and thoughtfulness to those who didn’t see it the first time around.
